Maurizio Sarri is making a comeback as Lazio’s head coach more than a year after his departure, the Serie A club confirmed on Monday.
“Maurizio Sarri has returned home,” declared Lazio president Claudio Lotito on the club’s official website. Sarri replaces Marco Baroni, who resigned last Friday after failing to secure European football for the upcoming season.
Baroni had taken over last summer following a turbulent period in which Lazio went through three coaches in one season: Sarri, Giovanni Martusciello, and Igor Tudor. Sarri originally joined Lazio in the summer of 2021 and guided the team to a second-place finish in Serie A in 2023.
The 66-year-old Sarri has been out of coaching since stepping down in March 2024. Lotito described Sarri’s return as “a choice of heart, conviction and vision,” expressing confidence that the coach would help restore enthusiasm, identity, and ambition at the club. “Welcome back to your home, Commander,” he added.
Sarri’s new appointment marks his 20th role as a head coach, although his first eight were at amateur level while he worked as a banker. He has previously won the Serie A title with Juventus in 2020, narrowly missed the championship with Napoli, and secured the Europa League with Chelsea in 2019.
Under Baroni’s leadership, Lazio finished seventh in the 2024-25 season but missed out on European qualification after a final-day home defeat to Lecce.